U.S. patent number 7,113,916 [Application Number 09/948,196] was granted by the patent office on 2006-09-26 for method of facial coding monitoring for the purpose of gauging the impact and appeal of commercially-related stimuli.
Invention is credited to Daniel A. Hill.
United States Patent |
7,113,916 |
Hill |
September 26, 2006 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Method of facial coding monitoring for the purpose of gauging the
impact and appeal of commercially-related stimuli
Abstract
A method of assessing consumer reaction to a marketing stimulus,
involving the steps of (a) exposing a sample population to a
marketing stimulus for a period of time, (b) interviewing members
of the sample population immediately after exposure of the members
to the marketing stimulus, (c) videotaping any facial expressions
and associated verbal comments of individual members of the sample
population during the exposure period and interview, (d) reviewing
the videotaped facial expressions and associated verbal comments of
individual members of the sample population to (1) detect the
occurrence of action units, (2) detect the occurrence of a smile,
(3) categorize any detected smile as duchenne or social smile, (4)
detect the occurrence of any verbal comment associated with a
detected smile, and (5) categorize any associated verbal comment as
positive, neutral or negative, (e) coding a single action unit or
combination of action units to a coded unit, (f) associating coded
units with any contemporaneously detected smile, (g) translating
the coded unit to a scored unit, (h) tallying the scored unit by
scoring unit category, (i) repeating steps (d) through (h)
throughout the exposure period, (j) repeating steps (d) through (h)
for a plurality of the members of the sample population, (k)
calculating an impact value for each scoring unit category by
multiplying the tallied number of scored units for each scoring
unit category by a predetermined impact factor for that scoring
unit category, (l) calculating an appeal value for each scoring
unit category by multiplying the tallied number of scored units for
each scoring unit category by a predetermined appeal factor for
that scoring unit category, (m) combining the impact values
obtained for each scoring unit category to obtain an impact score,
(n) combining the appeal values obtained for each scoring unit
category to obtain an appeal score, and (o) representing the appeal
and impact scores with an identification of the corresponding
marketing stimulus to which the members were exposed.
Inventors: |
Hill; Daniel A. (San Diego,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
36972179 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/948,196 |
Filed: |
September 7, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.32;
705/7.33 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
30/02 (20130101); G06Q 30/0203 (20130101); G06Q
30/0204 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06Q
10/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;705/10 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage, p. 123-161, 1992. cited
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System, (Rev. ed.), Instructional Resources Center, University of
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Affect Expressions by Holistic Judgments (AFFEX), Instructional
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cited by other.
|
Primary Examiner: Hafiz; Tariq
Assistant Examiner: Sterrett; Jonathan G.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sherrill Law Office, PLLC Sherrill;
Michael S.
Claims
I claim:
1. A method of assessing consumer reaction to a marketing stimulus,
comprising: (a) exposing a sample population comprised of a
plurality of members to a marketing stimulus for a period of time;
(b) interviewing members of the sample population immediately after
exposure of the members to the marketing stimulus; (c) videotaping
any facial expressions and associated verbal comments of individual
members of the sample population during the exposure period and
interview; (d) reviewing the videotaped facial expressions and
associated verbal comments of individual members of the sample
population for purposes of; (1) detecting the occurrence of action
units, (2) detecting the occurrence of a smile, (3) categorizing
any detected smile as a duchenne smile or a social smile, (4)
detecting laughter at least when a contemporaneous duchenne smile
is detected, (5) detecting the occurrence of any verbal comment
associated with a detected smile, and (6) categorizing any
associated verbal comment as positive, neutral or negative, (e)
coding a single action unit or combination of action units to a
coded unit; (f) associating coded units with any contemporaneously
detected smile; (g) associating any contemporaneously detected
laughter and duchenne smile; (h) translating the coded unit to a
scored unit with a translation of coded units associated with a
duchenne smile to different scoring unit categories dependent upon
the presence or absence of laughter associated with the associated
duchenne smile; (i) tallying the scored unit by scoring unit
category; (j) repeating steps (d) through (h) throughout the
exposure period; (k) repeating steps (d) through (h) for a
plurality of the members of the sample population; (l) calculating
an impact value for each scoring unit category by multiplying the
tallied number of scored units for each scoring unit category by a
predetermined impact factor for that scoring unit category; (m)
calculating an appeal value for each scoring unit by multiplying
the tallied number of scored units for each scoring unit category
by a predetermined appeal factor for that scoring unit category;
(n) combining the impact values obtained for each scoring unit
category to obtain an impact score; (o) combining the appeal values
for each scoring unit category to obtain an appeal score; and (p)
representing the appeal score and impact score with an
identification of the corresponding marketing stimulus to which the
members were exposed.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein representing the appeal and impact
scores comprises visually representing at least one set of appeal
and impact scores of at least one member together on a single
illustration.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein representing the appeal and impact
scores comprises visually representing at least one set of group
appeal and group impact scores obtained from at least ten members
together on a single illustration.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising (q) repeating steps (a)
through (p) with members of the sample population for at least one
other marketing stimulus which is different from the first
marketing stimulus, and (r) visually comparing the set of appeal
and impact scores of each marketing stimulus.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the marketing stimuli are of the
same type.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein the marketing stimuli involve
sales or marketing of the same type of goods or services.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sample population is comprised
of between about 10 to 200 members.
8. The method of claim 4 wherein the sample population is comprised
of between about 10 to 100 members.
9. The method of claim 4 wherein any associated verbal comment is
categorized as positive, neutral, direct negative or sarcastic.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to methods of measuring consumer reaction to
marketing stimuli.
BACKGROUND
Facial behavior has typically been gauged by using either
comprehensive facial measurements or selective facial measurements.
Comprehensive facial measurements include open-ended observations
of what is casually seen or direct measurements such as the Facial
Action Coding System ("FACS") originally described in Ekman, P.,
Friesen, W. V., Facial Action Coding System: A Technique for the
Measurement of Facial Movement, Consulting Psychologists Press,
Palo Alto, Calif. (1978). Although direct comprehensive
measurements are usually both time consuming and costly, they
provide a much greater opportunity to discover unexpected facial
action than does mere observation.
Selective facial measurements are used when the facial behavior is
known in advance. The researcher must be aware of and attend only
to the specific facial actions under investigation. These include
selective observer judgments, or direct measurements such as (i)
the Maximally Discriminiative Facial Movement Coding System ("MAX")
originally described in (i) Izard, C. E., The Maximally
Discriminative Facial Movement Coding System, (Rev. ed.),
Instructional Resources Center, University of Delaware, Newark,
Del. (1983), (ii) the System for Identifying Affect Expression by
Holistic Judgment ("AFFEX") originally described in Izard, C.,
Dougherty, L., Hembree, E. A System for Identifying Affect
Expressions by Holistic Judgments (AFFEX), Instructional Resources
Center, University of Delaware, Newark, Del. (1983), (iii) the
Emotion Facial Action Coding System ("EMFACS") originally described
in Ekman, P., Friesen, W., Ancoli, S., Facial Signs of Emotional
Experience, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 39,
No. 6, pp. 1125 1134 (1980) and (iv) Ekman, P., Friesen, W.,
Measuring Facial Movement, Environmental Psychology and Nonverbal
Behavior, 1 (1), Fall 1976, pp. 56 75, and (v) facial
electromyography ("EMG"). A major limitation inherent in measuring
facial behavior selectively is that this approach does not usually
separate emotional facial behavior from conversational facial
behaviors, and certain behaviors characteristic of emotion are
emitted.
Investigators have conducted significant research into the use of
electronic facial tracking and measurement for various purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,960, issued to Petajan, discloses an electrical
system for obtaining an electronic image of the mouth region in
order to facilitate and augment the ability to monitor speech.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,774,591 and 5,802,220, issued to Black, disclose
an electronic system for tracking human head and facial features
over time to capture relative motions for purposes of ascertaining
when a sequence of images defines a dominant facial expression. The
system seeks a correspondence between predefined facial gestures
and perceived facial expressions for the purpose of determining
which gestures trigger or support which expressions. The system
does not seek to quantify the expressions or translate the
expressions into standardized data useful for comparatively
assessing consumer reaction to a stimulus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,208, issued to Podilchuk et al., discloses an
electronic system for obtaining and comparing an electronic image
of a face for purposes of recognition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,040, issued to Oda et al., discloses an
input/output control mechanism for receiving facial image
information related to different facial expressions and normalizing
the facial image information for subsequent comparisons.
Facial tracking and measurement have not been applied in the field
of marketing analysis. Consumer reaction to a marketing stimulus
(e.g., a television commercial) is typically assessed by means of
exposing members of a focus group to the marketing stimulus (e.g.,
having the focus group watch the commercial) and obtaining the
reactions and comments of the members immediately after exposure to
the marketing stimulus by means of a written questionnaire and/or a
personal interview. While generally effective, such focus group
techniques suffer from several drawbacks, including a tendency for
members of a focus group to express inaccurately or imprecisely
their reaction to the marketing stimulus.
Current marketing theory suggests most consumer-purchasing behavior
and brand loyalty is dependent on the many facets of the consumer's
sensory experiences and take-away impressions--not merely on
rational decisions. Marketing efforts seek to match their offerings
to the potential consumer's experiences, but lack a sophisticated
technique to measure the emotional aspects of their products or
services.
Hence, a longstanding need exists for a more reliable, scientific
technique and methodology for measuring a consumer's emotional
reaction to marketing stimuli.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a method of assessing consumer
reaction to a marketing stimulus, involving the steps of (a)
exposing a sample population comprised of a plurality of members to
a marketing stimulus for a period of time, (b) interviewing members
of the sample population immediately after exposure of the members
to the marketing stimulus, (c) videotaping any facial expressions
and associated verbal comments of individual members of the sample
population during the exposure period and interview, (d) reviewing
the videotaped facial expressions and associated verbal comments of
individual members of the sample population to (1) detect the
occurrence of action units, (2) detect the occurrence of a smile,
(3) categorize any detected smile as duchenne or social smile, (4)
detect the occurrence of any verbal comment associated with a
detected smile, and (6) categorize any associated verbal comment as
positive, neutral or negative, (e) coding a single action unit or
combination of action units to a coded unit, (f) associating coded
units with any contemporaneously detected smile, (g) translating
the coded unit to a scored unit, (h) tallying the scored unit by
scoring unit category, (i) repeating steps (d) through (h)
throughout the exposure period, (j) repeating steps (d) through (h)
for a plurality of the members of the sample population, (k)
calculating an impact value for each scoring unit category by
multiplying the tallied number of scored units for each scoring
unit category by a predetermined impact factor for that scoring
unit category, (l) calculating an appeal value for each scoring
unit category by multiplying the tallied number of scored units for
each scoring unit category by a predetermined appeal factor for
that scoring unit category, (m) combining the impact values
obtained for each scoring unit category to obtain an impact score,
(n) combining the appeal values obtained for each scoring unit
category to obtain an appeal score, and (o) representing the appeal
and impact scores with an identification of the corresponding
marketing stimulus to which the members were exposed.
By visually representing the appeal and impact scores together for
a given marketing stimulus on a single illustration, the overall
relative marketing value of the stimulus, (i.e., extent to which
consumers were impacted and whether such impact was favorable or
unfavorable) can be understood. Marketing value can be further
understood and evaluated by visually representing the percentage of
scored units which were positive scoring unit categories and the
percentage of scored units which were negative scoring unit
categories. Marketing value can still further be understood and
evaluated by providing a breakdown of the negative CUs as between
the CU types of anger, contempt, disgust, fear, sadness and
surprise in accordance with FACS, optionally along with an
indication of the percentage of MEs.
The method preferably involves repeating steps (a) through (o) for
several different marketing stimuli with members of the sample
population, and then visually comparing sets of appeal and the
impact scores for each of the marketing stimuli so as to allow a
relative comparison of the marketing value of the marketing
stimuli.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1a is a flow chart for one embodiment of the exposure and
videotaping steps of the invention.
FIG. 1b is a flow chart for one embodiment of the reviewing,
translating, tallying, calculating, combining and representing
steps of the invention.
FIG. 2 represents one embodiment of a setting in which the exposure
and videotaping steps can be conducted.
FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of the impact and appeal
scores obtained in Example 1.
FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of the percentage of positive,
negative, and micro-expression scored units detected in Example 1
for stimulus 1.
FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of the percentage of coded
units within each negative coded unit type (e.g., anger, disgust,
fear, sadness and surprise) detected in Example 1 for stimulus
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION INCLUDING A BEST MODE
Definitions
As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "action unit,"
means contraction or other activity of a facial muscle or muscles
that causes an observable movement of some portion of the face.
As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "coded units,"
means any single action unit or combination of action units
correlated to a coded unit. The action unit(s) coding to the
various coded units are set forth in Table Three herein, and
generally correlate to anger, contempt, disgust, fear, happiness,
sadness, surprise and micro-expressions as set forth in the Facial
Action Coding System ("FACS").
As utilized herein, including the claims, the term "coding," when
utilized in connection with action units, means to correlate a
detected single action unit or combination of action units with a
known single action unit or combination of action units previously
recognized as denoting a specific type of coded unit whereby the
detected single action unit or combination of action units can be
categorized as that type of coded unit. Types of coded units
utilized in the method of this invention include those categories
of anger, contempt, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise and
micro-expressions as established by the Facial Action Coding System
("FACS") with those coded unit types set forth below in Table Three
forming the exclusive types of coded units into which action units
can be coded for purposes of this invention. Guidelines for
spotting action units and coding the action units to a coded unit
are provided in Ekman, P., Friesen, W., Unmasking the Face--A Guide
to Recognizing Emotions From Facial Clues, Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J., the disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrases "duchenne
smile," and "social smile," mean a smile categorized by the "best
fit" in accordance with the presence/absence and degree of the
individual facial actions set forth in Table One below.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE ONE DUCHENNE ACTION SMILE SOCIAL SMILE Lip
Corners Go Up Yes Yes Lip Stretches Yes Yes Cheeks Pull Upward Yes
Yes Skin Bags Form Below the Eyes Yes No Crow's Feet Wrinkles Form
Yes No
As utilized herein, including the claims, the term "expose," means
to submit or make accessible to one or more of the five senses of
sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell.
As utilized herein, including the claims, the term "interview,"
means to ask at least one question relating to a marketing stimulus
to which a person has just been exposed. An interview may be
conducted in any number of settings including seated face-to-face,
standing back-to-back, through a one-way mirror, while walking,
etc.
As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "marketing
stimulus," refers to an item selected and designed to (i)
advertise, promote and/or enhance the sales or acceptance of a
product and/or service, (ii) advertise, promote, improve and/or
enhance customer recognition and/or the public image of a person
and/or business, (iii) position a product, and/or (iv) enhance
brand identity. Examplary marketing stimuli include television
commercials, radio advertisements, print advertisements, billboard
advertisements, point-of-purchase displays, store-front signage,
packaging. Yellow Pages advertisements, brochures, literatures used
in mass mailings, web sites, individual web pages, store layouts,
interior design of a store, product appearance, product operation,
presentation materials, etc.
As utilized herein, including the claims, the term 37
micro-expression," means a single action unit or combination of
action units that do not completely create a full expression and
therefore does not fully correlate to a coded unit. A more
discussion is provided in Ekman, P., Telling Lies--Clues to Deceit
in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage, WW Norton &
Company, New York, 1992, the disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
As utilized herein, including the claims, a "member appeal score,"
is obtained by multiplying the tallied number of scored units for
each scoring unit category for a single member by a predetermined
appeal factor for that scoring unit category to obtain a member
appeal value for each scoring unit category, and then combining the
member appeal values for all the scoring unit categories.
As utilized herein, including the claims, a "member impact score,"
is obtained by multiplying the tallied number of scored units for
each scoring unit category for a single member by a predetermined
impact factor for that scoring unit category to obtain a member
impact value or each scored unit category, and then combining the
member impact values for all the scoring unit categories.
As utilized herein, including the claims, a "group appeal score,"
is obtained by summing the member appeal scores for a plurality of
members in a sample population to obtain a group appeal value, and
then dividing the group appeal value by the number of members whose
member appeal scores were included in obtaining the group appeal
value and the number of questions asked during the exposure period
in excess of one per member.
As utilized herein, including the claims, a "group impact score,"
is obtained by summing the member impact scores for a plurality of
members in a sample population to obtain a group impact value, and
then dividing the group impact value by the number of members whose
member impact scores were included in obtaining the group impact
value and the number of questions asked during the exposure period
in excess of one per member.
As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "set of appeal
and impact scores," means the combination of an appeal score and an
impact score obtained for a single member of a sample population
for a given marketing stimulus (hereinafter referenced as "member
set of appeal and impact scores") or the combination of an appeal
score and an impact score obtained for a group of members in a
sample population for a given marketing stimulus (hereinafter
referenced as "group set of appeal and impact scores").
As utilized herein, including the claims, the term "illustration,"
includes graphs, charts, and data tables.
As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "same media,"
means within a single type of media, wherein types of media are
separated as between (i) television, (ii) radio, (iii) print, (iv)
internet, (v) three-dimensional architecture and interior design,
(vi) fragrance, (vii) taste tests, (viii) use tests, and (ix)
other.
As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "same type of
goods or services," means goods or services which would be listed
under the same topic heading in the most current US West Dex.RTM.
Yellow Pages directory relative to the data of inquiry as to
whether the goods or services are of the same type.
The Method
The method is a rigorous and accurate method of assessing consumer
reaction to a marketing stimulus utilizing facial coding (e.g.,
FACS) and a unique scoring system for determining the extent to
which consumers are impacted by a marketing stimulus and whether
such impact was favorable or unfavorable. Such a presentation of
consumer reaction facilitates the use of such data in making
business decisions.
The method enables businesses and organizations to gain a better
understanding of their customers' sensory and emotional experiences
or take-away impressions to marketing stimuli by providing them
with psycho-physiological facial coding assessments of the impact
and appeal of the marketing stimuli. The marketing stimuli can be
placed within a comparative or even directly competitive context
when desired. Use of the method with competing marketing stimuli
can be evaluated, providing not only a summary of physiological
responses but also a comparison between two summaries, revealing
subtle differences. Use of the method enhances the ability of a
company to tailor product and marketing efforts to existing and
prospective customers.
The method possesses several advantages, including: (1) the ability
to capture the subtle, otherwise undetectable ways in which our
bodies register and reflect our thoughts and emotions, (2) the
ability to capture subconscious physiological responses to stimuli
beyond what might be otherwise consciously known and verbally
acknowledged, (3) the ability to practice real-time and
frame-by-frame assessment of responses during the initial
experiences of a stimulus and/or during a subsequent interview, (4)
the ability to conduct the study in an unobtrusive and non-invasive
manner, and (5) an objective based scientific system for monitoring
emotional responses which is more accurate and precise than
subjective reports.
The method can be usefully and successfully employed in connection
with a wide variety of marketing stimuli including specifically,
but not exclusively, television programming, television
advertising, radio programming, radio advertising, movie trailers,
phone messaging systems, customer service dynamics, signage,
uniforms, vehicles, offering designs, print ads, direct mail,
product packaging and design (including visual and tacile), point
of purchase displays, actual packaged or unpackaged products, taste
and/or smell tests for products and/or services, store
environments, corporate lobbies, logos, brand names, taglines,
catalogs, entire web sites, and individual web pages.
Referring generally to FIGS. 1a and 1b, the flow and sequence of
steps for one embodiment of the method is depicted. Generally, a
subject 1 is recruited for participation as a member of a sample
population, sometimes after responding appropriately to several
qualification questions (e.g., are they a member of the product
target market). The session is recorded by a video camera 2
positioned to ensure that high quality images of the participant's
facial expressions are obtained throughout the session. As shown in
FIG. 2, the video camera 2 can be mounted on a table 4 immediately
behind a display window 2 upon which the marketing stimuli will be
presented. The participant 1 should be instructed to (i) look into
the camera 2 when answering questions, (ii) avoid any extreme or
radical head movement during the session, and (iii) keep from
touching their face during the session.
The participant 1 will be exposed to the marketing stimuli one at a
time, and asked one or more questions about the marketing stimuli
immediately after each exposure (i.e., interviewed), in order to
gauge the participant's emotional response to each marketing
stimulus. The individual controlling the testing procedure (not
shown) has the marketing stimuli prepared and obscured until
needed. Care is taken to ensure that the procedure of presenting
and removing the marketing stimuli does not distract or inhibit the
participant's natural responses to the experience.
Upon completion of the session (i.e., exposure to the entire
collection of marketing stimuli and all interviews completed) the
videotape is shut off and the participant 1 dismissed. Preferably,
the session is repeated for about 10 to 200, preferably about 20 to
100 participants 1.
The videotape of the session is then given to a facial coder (not
shown), who studies the videotape in real time and on a
second-by-second, frame-by-frame basis to detect action units
("AUs") and smiles (i.e., a combination of AU6 and AU12) in
accordance with FACS and as summarized in Table Two below.
Bilateral expressions are reported as a micro-expression even when
the expression is a bilateral Duchenne smile or bilateral social
smile. The facial coder (not shown) is looking for any and all
"hits," (i.e., a singular muscle action, or combination of muscle
actions that qualify as a full expression within the FACS system or
qualifies as a micro-expression ("ME")). The facial coder (not
shown) also reports the occurrence of a smile, categories any smile
as duchenne or social smile, reports the occurrence of any verbal
comment associated with a reported smile, categories any associated
verbal comment as positive, neutral or negative, and reports the
presence of any laugh associated with the smile. The facial coder
optionally, but preferably, specifies whether any negative comments
were directly negative or sarcastic. The facial coder need not
report the occurrence and type of any verbal comment associated
with a reported duchenne smile when a laugh was present in
combination with the duchenne smile.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE TWO SINGLE ACTION UNITS AU No. FACS NAME
MUSCULAR BASIS 1 Inner Brow Raiser Frontalis, Pars Medialis 2 Outer
Brow Raiser Frontalis, Pars Lateralis 4 Brow Lowerer Depressor
Glabellae; Depressor Supercilli; Corrugator 5 Upper Lid Raiser
Levator Palebrae Superioris 6 Cheek Raiser Orbicularis Oculi, Pars
Orbitalis 7 Lid Tightener Orbicularis Oculi, Pars Palebrali 8 Lips
Toward Each Other Orbicularis Oris 9 Nose Wrinkler Levator Labii
Superioris, Alaeque Nasi 10 Upper Lip Raiser Levator Labii
Superioris, Caput Infraorbitalis 11 Nasolabial Furrow Deepener
Zygomatic Minor 12 Lip Corner Puller Zygomatic Major 13 Cheek
Puffer Caninus 14 Dimpler Buccinnator 15 Lip Corner Depressor
Triangularis 16 Lower Lip Depressor Depressor Labii 17 Chin Raiser
Mentalis 18 Lip Puckerer Incisivii Labii Superioris; Incisivii
Labii Inferioris 20 Lip Stretcher Risorius 22 Lip Funneler
Orbicularis Oris 23 Lip Tightener Orbicularis Oris 24 Lip Pressor
Orbicularis Oris 25 Lips Part Depressor Labii, or Relaxation of
Mentalis or Orbicularis Oris 26 Jaw Drop Masetter; Temporal and
Internal Pterygoid 27 Mouth Stretch Ptergoids; Digastric 28 Lip
Suck Orbicularis Oris 38 Nostril Dilator Nasalis, Pars Alaris 39
Nostril Compressor Nasalis, Pars Transversa and Depressor Septi
Nasi 41 Lid Droop Relaxation of Levator Palpebrae Superioris 42
Slit Orbicularis Oculi 43 Eyes Closed Relaxation of Levator
Palpebrae Superioris 44 Squint Orbicularis Oculi, Pars Palpebralis
45 Blink Relaxation of Levator Palpebrae and Contraction of
Orbicularis Oculi, Pars Palpebralis 46 Wink Orbicularis Oculi
Coding
Coding of AUs and MEs to coded units ("CUs") is conducted in
accordance with the emotions prediction analysis established by the
Facial Action Coding System ("FACS") utilizing the Emotions
Predictions Table set forth below in Table Three as the exclusive
basis for single action units ("SAUs") and action unit groups
("AUGs") capable of being coded to CUs. However, AUs and MEs
associated with speech movement should not be recorded, coded or
scored. The CUs into which the SAUs, AUGs, and MEs may be coded
equate to the FACS designations of an expression of happiness,
sadness, anger, contempt, dusgust, gear, surprise, or a
micro-expression. If the facial coder detects an AUG, which equates
to a blend of emotions, the facial coder should code the AUG to
multiple CUs for each expression involved.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE THREE EMOTION PREDICTORS CODED UNIT SAUs AND
AUGs CODING FOR CUs (Emotion) PROTOTYPE SAU/AUG MAJOR VARIANT
SAU/AUG Surprise 1 & 2 & 5x & 26 1 & 2 & 5x 1
& 2 & 5x & 27 1 & 2 & 26 1 & 2 & 27 5x
& 26 5x & 27 Fear 1 & 2 & 4 & 5* & 20*
& 1 & 2 & 2 & 5* & L or R20* & (25, 26 or
27) 25, 26, or 27 1 & 2 & 4 & 5* & (25, 1 & 2
& 4 & 5* 26 or 27) 1 & 2 & 5Z with or without 25,
26, 27 5* & 20* with or without 25, 26, 27 Happy 6 & 12 12Y
Sadness 1 & 4 & 11 & 15x (with or 1 & 4 & 11
with or without without 54 & 64) & (with 54 & 64 &
(with or without or without 25 or 26) 25 or 26) 1 & 4 & 15*
(with or 1 & 4 & 15x with or without without 54 & 64)
& (with 54 & 64 & (with or without or without 25 or 26)
25 or 26) 6 & 15x (with or without 1 & 4 & 15x & 17
with or 54 & 64) & (with or without 54 & 64 & (with
or without 25 or 26) without 25 or 26) 11 & 15x with or without
54 & 64 & (with or without 25 or 26) 11 & 17 &
(with or without 25 or 26) Disgust 9 9 & 16 & (15 or 26) 9
& 17 10* 10* & 16 & (25 or 26) 10 & 17 Contempt 10
& 14 Anger 4 & 5* & 7 & 10* & 22 & Any of
the prototypes without 23 & (25 or 26) any one of the following
AUs: 4 & 5* & 7 & 10* & 23 & 4, 5, 7, or 10 (25
or 26) 4 & 5* & 7 & 23 & (25 or 26) 4 & 5*
& 7 & 17 & 23 4 & 5* & 7 & 17 & 24 4
& 5* & 7 & 23 4 & 5* & 7 & 24 *The AU may
be at x, y, or z level of intensity.
Translation
CUs are translated into scored units ("SUs") as set forth below in
Table Four. SU categories A, B, C, D, and E are classified as
positive SUs. SU categories F, G, H, and J are classified as
negative SUs. SU category I is classified as a micro-expression
SU.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE FOUR SMILE VERBAL Duchenne/ COMMENT LAUGH SU
CU TYPE Social +/0/- Yes/No CATEGORY Anger.sup.1 NA NA NA F
Contempt.sup.1 NA NA NA F Disgust.sup.1 NA NA NA F Fear.sup.1 NA NA
NA F Happy Duchenne + (optional) Yes A Duchenne + No B Duchenne 0
No C Social + No D Social 0 No E Duchenne - No G Social - No H
Sadness.sup.1 NA NA NA F Surprise NA NA NA J Micro-Expression
Bi-lateral NA NA I only .sup.1Micro-expressions of anger, contempt,
disgust, sadness, and fear can optionally be translated to SU
category I.
Scoring System
A member impact score is obtained by (i) tallying the SUs, for a
single member of the sample population by SU category, (ii)
multiplying the tally of SUs in each SU category by a predetermined
impact factor for that SU category to obtain a member impact value
for each SU category, and (iii) combining the member impact values
for all the SU categories. A group impact score is obtained by
summing the member impact scores for a plurality of members in a
sample population to obtain a group impact value, and then dividing
the group impact value by the number of members whose member impact
scores were included in obtaining the group impact value and the
number of questions asked during the exposure period in excess of
one per member.
Similarly, a member appeal score is obtained by (i) tallying the
SUs for a single member of the sample population by SUS category,
(ii) multiplying the tally of SUs in each SU category by a
predetermined appeal factor for that SU category to obtain a member
impact value for each SU category, and (iii) combining the member
appeal values for all the SU categories. A group appeal score is
obtained by summing the member appeal scores for a plurality of
members in a sample population to obtain a group appeal value, and
then dividing the group appeal value by the number of members whose
member appeal scores were included in obtaining the group appeal
value and the number of questions asked during the exposure period
in excess of one per member.
The relative values of the predetermined impact factor and the
predetermined appeal factor for each SU category are set forth
below in Table Five. The relative values are subject to refinement,
generally within the range set forth below, based upon
experience.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE FIVE PREFERRED CU RANGE Impact TYPE Impact
Factor Appeal Factor Factor Appeal Factor A 21/2 31/2 21/2 31/2 3 3
B 21/2 31/2 11/2 21/2 3 2 C 2 3 1 2 21/2 11/2 D 11/2 21/2 3/4 11/4
2 1 E 3/4 11/4 1/4 3/4 1 1/2 F 21/2 31/2 -11/2 -21/2 3 -2 G 2 3 -1
-2 21/2 -11/2 H 11/2 21/2 -3/4 -11/4 2 -1 I 3/4 11/4 -1/4 -3/4 1
-1/2 J 3/4 11/4 -1/8 -3/8 1 -1/4
It is generally preferred not to score or tally data from those
members who held their hands in front of their mouth.
Reporting
A number of reporting options exists for representing the data.
Several exemplary options include specifically, but not
exclusively, (i) reporting the data separately for each individual
stimuli (ii) reporting the data for a plurality of stimuli in
comparative form, (iii) reporting the data separately for each
member of the sample population, (iv) graphically reporting the
impact and appeal scores with each score forming an axis of the
graph, (v) graphically reporting the impact and appeal scores for
only a selected portion of the exposure period (e.g., the first two
seconds of exposure to the marketing stimuli, the reaction to a
specific question, etc.), (vi) graphically reporting the impact and
appeal scores for a plurality of distinct portions of the exposure
period together on the same graph (e.g., scores during exposures to
the marketing stimuli and scores during questioning), and (vii)
graphically reporting the percentage of SUs which were positive
SUs, negative SUs and MEs.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
The number of participants reported in Table Six below ere each
exposed to stimuli 1 through 5 in sequence and asked two questions
immediately after viewing each stimulus. A facial coder reviewed
the videotape of each participant and detected the occurrence of
AUs, the occurrence of any smile, and the occurrence of any verbal
comment or laughter associated with a smile. The facial coder
determined whether the AUs should be treated as a SAU, AUG or ME
under FACS, coded the SAUs, AUGs and MEs to CUs by CU type (i.e.,
emotions of anger, disgust, fear, sadness or surprise) in
accordance with FACS, categorized any smile as a duchenne or social
smile, and categorized any verbal comment associated with any smile
as positive, neutral or negative.
An assistant translated the CUs into SUs. The assistant tallied the
SUs by stimulus and by SU category within an Excel.RTM.
spreadsheet. The categorized tally of SUs for each stimulus is set
forth in Table Six.
A group impact value and a group appeal value for each SU category
was calculated by multiplying the tallied number of SUs for each SU
category by the preferred impact factor or appeal factor for that
SU category as set forth in Table Seven. The calculated group
impact value and group appeal value for each SU category is set
forth in Table Eight. The calculation was completed automatically
within the Excel.RTM. Spreadsheet, which was previously programmed
with the proper formulas.
Group impact and appeal scores were calculated from the group
impact values and group appeal values respectively, by separately
summing the group impact values and group appeal values for each SU
category, and dividing each of the summed values by the number of
members of the sample population for that stimulus which were coded
and scored plus the number of questions asked of those members in
excess of one. The calculated group impact score and group appeal
score for each stimulus is set forth in Table Eight.
The group impact score and group appeal score for each stimulus is
graphically represented in FIG. 3. The percentage of SUs for
stimulus 1, which were positive, negative, and micro-expressions is
graphically represented in FIG. 4. The percentage of CUs equated to
each of the CU types of anger, contempt, disgust, fear, sadness and
surprise is graphically represented in FIG. 5.
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE SIX Total Sub- TALLY OF SUs Stimuli jects A B
C D E F G H I J Total Stim 1 39 5 1 0 6 20 4 4 14 116 16 186 Stim 2
39 7 3 4 10 12 3 11 17 92 24 183 Stim 3 39 5 5 6 15 14 4 16 25 89
25 204 Stim 4 40 1 0 1 16 10 2 7 4 124 16 181 Stim 5 40 2 1 1 4 14
5 16 23 122 24 212
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE SEVEN SU CATEGORY IMPACT FACTOR APPEAL FACTOR
A 3 3 B 3 2 C 21/2 11/2 D 2 1 B 1 1/2 F 3 -2 G 21/2 -11/2 H 2 -1 I
1 -1/2 J 1 -1/4
TABLE-US-00008 TABLE EIGHT CALCULATED IMPACT AND APPEAL VALUES BY
SU CATEGORY Stimuli A B C D E F G H I J Score Stim 1 Impact 15 3 0
12 20 12 10 28 116 16 2.97 Appeal 15 2 0 6 10 -8 -6 -14 -58 -4
-0.73 Stim 2 Impact 21 9 10 20 12 9 27.5 34 92 24 3.31 Appeal 21 6
6 10 6 -6 -16.5 -17 -46 -6 -0.54 Stim 3 Impact 15 15 15 30 14 12 40
50 89 25 3.91 Appeal 15 10 9 15 7 -8 -24 -25 -44.5 -6.25 -0.66 Stim
4 Impact 3 0 2.5 32 10 6 17.5 8 124 16 2.74 Appeal 3 0 1.5 16 5 -4
-10.5 -4 -62 -4 -0.74 Stim 5 Impact 6 3 2.5 8 14 15 40 46 122 24
3.51 Appeal 6 2 1.5 4 7 -10 -24 -23 -61 -6 -1.29
Conclusions: Stimuli 1 through 4 exhibited nearly equivalent appeal
and impact scores, with stimulus 2 exhibiting the greatest appeal
and stimulus 3 exhibiting the greatest impact. Stimulus 5 has
approximately the same impact as stimuli 1 through 4, but a
significantly lower appeal.
The specification is provided to aid in the complete nonlimiting
understanding of the invention. Since many variations and
embodiments of the invention may be created and devised without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of
the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
* * * * *